ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
A. OTHER THAN EXTERNALLY AIDED SCHEMES
1. Operation Blackboard Operation Blackboard, which was launched in 1987 with the objective of providing minimum essential facilities in all primary schools of the country and thereby improving the schools environment and, in turn, enhancing retention, has almost fully covered the originally targetted primary schools have been covered as originally scheduled with central assistance of Rs.10,000/,- for teaching learning equipment, 1.47 lakh single teacher schools covered to two teacher schools and 66% of the 2.63 lakhs school buildings constructed. Since 1993-94 the scheme has been expanded to cover Upper Primary schools and also a third teacher in primary schools with enrolment exceeding 100. 47,000 Upper primary schools have since been granted central assistance of Rs.40,000/- each for purchase of teaching learning materials. 34780 posts of third teachers have been created. A special teacher orientation programme to facilitate optimum utilisation of materials supplied has also been launched to cover all the 18 lakh primary school teachers in country.
Based on the lessons learnt during the last eight years we have to streamline the purchase procedures with in-built quality controls, provide for greater involvement of teachers in the selection of teaching aids, develop better linkages between teaching aids and curricular requirements and motivate the teachers to improvise teaching learning materials from in expensive locally available materials. It should be ensured that there is no single teacher primary school in any State or UT and that maintenance of assets created is ensured through active involvement and support of local bodies and adequate grants.
The Operation Blackboard has had a positive impact where we systematically implemented. In order to consolidate the positive outcomes of
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the programme and endow all primary and upper primary schools with an acceptable level of infrastructure, the components of providing additional teacher to Upper Primary schools and third teacher to primary schools needs to be continued through the next Plan.
An outlay of Rs.2163.00 crore has been proposed for 9th Plan and Rs.321.00 crore for the Annual Plan 1997-98.
2. Teacher Education Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Restructuring and Reorganisation of Teacher Education have been introduced in the 7 the Plan and continued during the 8th Five Year Plan. This scheme has the following major components:
(a) Establishment of DIETS to provide quality pre- service and in-service education of teachers and Adult Education/Non-formal Education.
(b) Upgradation of selected secondary teacher training institutions into CTEs and IASEs to provide similar facilities for the Secondary School Systems.
(c) Strengthening of SCERTs by conferring independent and autonomous status with responsibility to supervise and guid the functioning of DIETs, District resource Units and other teacher education institutions.
(d) Sttrengthening of Departments of Education in universities so that they can provide academic support to the network training institutions set up at various levels.
During the 8th Five Year Plan, major emphasis under the Teacher Education Scheme has been on setting up of DIETs. As on 31 st March 1996, against the target of 425,424 DIETs have already been established. Similarly, against the target of 135 CTEs/IASEs,107 CTEs/IASEs have been established. Under the Special orientation Programme of Primary Teachers (SOPT), 0.4 million teachers have since been trained. Before the end of 8th Plan 425 DIETs and 110 CTEs/IASEs are expected to be established.
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Teacher Education in IXth Plan A large infrastructure and net work of institutions has already been created during the 7th and 8th Five Year Plan. During the 9th Plan, attempt would be to consolidate the goals already made in this direction and expand the network of teacher training through conventional as well as distance mode to cover the entire population of teachers. The emphasis during 9th plan would continue to stay on elementary teacher education with a view to bridge a large gap between demand and supply of qualified and well trained manpower.
The basic objectives during the 9th Plan would be to consolidate the initiatives taken the 8th Plan, on improvement of content procerss and management of pre service and in-service education programmes, liquidation of large backlog of untrained serving teachers, developing mechanism for continuous professional upgradation of teachers through distance education, using dual mode techniques in all in service teacher training programme and developing NCTE and NCERT into a National Resource Centre.
Strategy Strategies during the 9th Plan to strengthen teacher education would be to extend and consolidate DIETs/CTEs/IASEs and SCERTs, strengthening of other teacher training institutions which are at present outside the perview of the poresent scheme of restructuring and reorganisation of teacher education. It is also proposed to use distance education for in-service training of primary teachers and teacher educators during the 9th Plan and a National Action Plan for in-service education of primary teachers through distance education has already been prepared to utilise the latest communication technologies avaliable in India. The project formulation and clearance machinery is proposed to be revised keeping in view the difficulties experienced in the functioning of the present system. An effective network of the existing large number of insititutions like SCERT, IASEs, CTES and DIETs is also proposed
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to be formed to develop and strengthen partnerships between (a) CERTs, CTEs,IASEs and DIETs, (b) Government institutions and Non Government TTIS, (c) Regional Institutions of Education and SCERTs, (d) university faculties of education and State Agencies, and (e) Voluntary organisations and State Governments. To ensure coordination of efforts of national level training institutions, a National Advisory Body for Teacher Education is proposed to be set up to ensure functioning of these institutions in an efficient, harmonious and coordinated manner.
Programmes for 9th plan During th 9th plan, 100 new DIETs are proposed to be sanctioned with a view to cover all the districts in the country. For providing training to primary teachers at district level. Similarly, 125 new CTEs and 15 additional IASEs are proposed to be upgraded to meet the targets laid down in the programme of Action 1992 of establishing 250 CTEs and 5 IASEs. The norms for giving financial assistance for construction, equipment and recurring expenditure are proposed to be revised upwards in view of the huge escalation in cost of construction, equipment and expenditure on salaries. It is also proposed to give specified central assistance to DIETs whose civil works are incomplete or are yet to start. Similarly, norms for stregthening of SCERTs are also proiposed to be revised upwards form the existing 50 lakh per annum to Rs. 2 crores in addition Rs. 5 lakhs is also proposed to be given to each SCERT for professional development, of faculty and staff.
With a view to give impetus to elementary education at Block an Cluster level, Block Resource Centres (BRCs) are proposed to be set up. These BRCs would infact be extensions of DIETs at sub district level and two BRCs are proposed to be sanctioned for each operational DIET. It is also proposed to establish two Cluster Resource Centres (CRCs) each to a functional BRC on a pilot basis for a cluster of primary schools.
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The National Action Plan for in service education of primary teachers through distance education is proposed to be implemented during the 9th Five Year Plan The NAP contains a 10 Year perspective and to that extent it will guide the development of in-service education of primary teachers through both 9th and 10th Five Year Plans, This will provide an additional framework for in-servfice education and sustainable renewal of primary teachers and capacity building of the system through inveractive distance education.
NCTE which was set up in 8th Plan as statutory body is proposed to be stregthened and given specified responsibilities to develop teacher education curriculam framework, undertake complete and spublish state level studies on teacher education and develop a resource centre and institutional data base on teacher education. Role of NCERT is also proposed to be clearly defined so that the NCERT and NCTE function to supplement and complement each other for providing effective teacher education to school educational system.
Budget The total financial implecations of the various proposals proposed to be undertake during the 9th plan amounts Rs. 3135.24 crores alongwith state share of Rs. 78 crores. Out of this, NCTE and Teacher Housing Scheme have separate budget heads. The effective 9th plan proposals under the Teacher Education Head Scheme would thus work out to Rs. 2828 crores for the whole Plan Period. A tentative budget provision of Rs. 450 crores is proposed to be made amounting to Rs. around 15% of the Plan proposal in the first year of the plan. The financial requirements during the Annual Plan for the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of restructuring and reorganisation of Teacher Education would thus be as follows:-
BE 1996-97 Rs. 117 crores
RE 1996-97(Proposed) Rs. 107 crores
BE 1997-98 Rs. 450 crores
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3. & 4. Non-Formal Education Programme
Objective The provision of free and compulsory education to all children until they attain the age of 14 years is one of the Directive Principles in Constitution. Determined efforts have, therefore, been made, since Independence, towards the achievement of the goal of Universalisation of Elementary Education. However, despite considerable expansion of formal system of education, the achievement of UEE goals remain a distant dream as a large group of children remain outside the formal system due to various socioeconomic constraints. In order to reach this large segment of marginalised children, the Govt. of India, Department of Education has been running, since 1979-80, a programme of Non-Formal Education for children of 6-14 age-group who remain outside the formal system due to various reasons. These include dropouts of the formal schools, children from habitations without schools, working children, children who assist in performing domestic chores like fetching fuel, fodder, water, attending to siblings, grazing cattle etc and girls who are unable to attend formal schools.
The National Policy on Education, 1986 and the Programme of Action 1992 envisage a large systematic programme of NFE for those who cannot attend the full day schools. It assumes that if the essential requirements for running a good programme are fulfilled, NFE can result in provision of education comparable in quality with formal schooling. It visualises NFE as child centred environment-oriented system to meet the diverse needs of comparatively deprived sections. Decentralised community participation through Village Education Committees (VECs) in planning, running, overseeing the NFE programme has been considered crucial for its success.
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Coverage Although the focus of the programme is on the educationally backward States viz. Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, J & K, M.P., Orissa, Rajasthan, U.P. and West Bengal, it also covers urban slums, hilly, tribal and desert areas and projects for education of working children in other States as well, The programme is, at present, in operation in 21 States/UTs,viz. Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J & K, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Chandigrah, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Delhi.
Strategy a) Condensed course of about two years duration
b) Part-time instructions at a time/place convenient to learners in small groups;
c) Part-time honorary instructor/Supervisor locally recruited and trained;
d) Emphasis on flexibility and decentralisation of management;
e) Use of curriculum and teaching-learning material comparable to the formal system and relevant to local environment and learner's needs;
f) Testing & certification of NFE students to enable their entry into formal system
The programme is implemented through State Govts. as well as voluntary Non-Governmental Organisations. The central assistance to State Govts is being provided on sharing basis between the State Govts. and the Central Govt. in the ratio of 40:60 for Co-educational centres & administrative resource support and 10:90 for exclusively girls centres. The Central assistance to NGOs for running NFE Centres and Experimental and Innovative Projects is being provided on 100% basis.
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Monitoring & Evaluation The programme of NFE is being monitored through Quarterly Progress Reports, periodic evaluations conducted by Joint Evaluation Teams and field visits of Central Govt. and State Govt. officials, Moreover, 7 external agencies evaluated the programme in eight States viz. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orrisa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. On the basis of the feedback received, remedial action is being taken for effective implementation of the programme. Operations Research Group (ORG), New Delhi has also be asked to develop tools for evaluation of the Programme.
Implementation During 1996-97 Out of Rs.158.50 Crores (Rs.128.20 Crores under State Sector and Rs.30.00 Crores under Voluntary Sector, grant amounting to Rs.128.20 Crores is expected to be released to 15 States/UTs for running 2.41 lakhs NFE centres under State Sector and grants amounting to Rs.30.00 Crores has been sanctioned to 590 voluntary agencies for running about 0.39 lakh NFE centres under voluntary sector during 1996-97. 40 voluntary agencies are implementing experimental and innovative projects for achieving UEE. The estimated enrolment capacity of the programme is about 70 lakh children.
VIII Plan Provisions An outlay of Rs. 704.00 Crores (Rs. 625.00 for State Sector and Rs. 79.00 Crores for voluntary sector) has been approved for the 8th Plan period. The emphasis is on consolidation of the existing programme rather than its expansion. Efforts are, therefore, being made to improve the quality, allow greater flexibility to implementing agencies, re-locate NFE centres on the basis of micro-planning area survey, and promote more experimentation & innovation in the field of elementary education. Development and scaling-up of effective NFE models that can help the learners to learn at their own pace
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is a major thrust area in the 8th Plan period. The cost parameters have also been revised and a new provision of cash incentive to Instructors has been introduced in the Scheme with a view to provide better infrastructural facilities and enhance motivation of Instructors. As per revised cost-parameters, the total cost of one NFE project comprising of 90 primary and 10 tipper primary centres has gone up from Rs. 5.50 lakhs to Rs. 12.10 lakhs in the first year and from Rs.4.80 lakhs to Rs.11.85 lakhs in subsequent years. As a special incentive for education of girls, the ratio of number of NFE girls (Centres to coeducational Centres has been enhanced from 25:75 to 40:60.
The position of NFE programme during VIII Plan period is as under :
Financial:
(Rs.in Crores)
ALLOCATION EXPENDITURE
STATE V.A. TOTAL STATE VA TOTAL
1992-93 68.10 22.00 90.10 45.17 10.15 55.36
1993-94 89.12 19.50 106.62 86.26 20.42 106.68
1994-95 106.27 25.00 131.27 106.69 25.00 131.69
1995-96 133.50 25.00 158.50 128.45 25.00 153.45
1996-97 128.20 30.00 158.20 128.20 30.00 158.20*
Total 525.19 121.50 644.99 494.77 110.61 605.38
*Expected expenditure
8th Plan
Allocation 625.00 79.00 704.00
Differ- (-)130.23 (+)31.61 (-) 98.62
ence
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PHYSICAL (Number Of Centres)
STATE SECTOR VOLUNTARY SECTOR GRAND No.of
TOTAL VAs
1992-93 214911 23250 238161 363
1993-94 227461 27160 254621 410
1994-95 230481 30580 261061 440
1995-96 240787 37808 277455 544
1996-97 240787 38900 279687 590
Note : Figures for 96-97 denote anticipated centres.
Strategies For The 9th Five Year Plan Gaining from the experience of running the NFE programme in the country over the last almost two decades, some of the major strategies which need to be adopted for revitalisation and expansion of NFE in the 9th Plan have been enumerated as follows:
i) Perception of NFE- as an inferior system of primary education would have to be redressed through stronger advocacy, better environment building, higher investments, rigorous implementation, coordination, monitoring and review of all parameters of the programme. The endeavour should be to provide primary education of satisfactory quality through schools as far as possible and through NFE wherever necessary.